Demented
by Simone Robinson
Summary: "-And now Raphael had to wonder, sinking back against the stones. And Raphael stopped to wonder exactly when he had gone insane.-" Mythical Seductress challenge. A one shot/ short story.


**Warning: This was written at four in the morning with no real point. This is confusing.**

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**D** e m e n t e d

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The strains of music slid across the room. In the quiet, half silence, they reverberated more loudly than ever before. The notes were soft and delicate, appose to the vibrant, more powerful music that Raphael was used to. As the music began to die down, a curtain swung open, revealing ten figures. They were beautiful, yet it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female or even if they were even human at all. Raphael watched, mesmerized as they emerged. Five of the creatures, who he now saw looked like dancers, were dressed in traditional ballerina outfits, complete with pink lace up points.

_I suppose they are girls then_, Raphael mused. The other five, who had now moved to the left side of the room, were dressed in black ballet tutus with shiny black feather trimmings.

Raphael watched in awe as they began to move across the room, dancing slowly with long, powerful steps. They were synchronized, and Raphael had never seen anything quite like it in his entire life.

There was silence now, aside from the soft noises of scuffling shoes. It was different from the earlier music that had been playing in the chamber, where it had been a definite sound made to create beauty. These dancers needed no help from the melody. On their own, it was apparent that they were the most stunning things Raphael had ever seen. He stared, gazing longingly at their shapes. He wanted to be with them, be part of the intoxicating waltz that was their life. He stepped forward.

Before anything could come of Raphael's desire, however, the dancers began to move away, changing their positions to reveal a second curtain, one that he was certain had not been there before. It was a rich, creamy color, dripping with beads and sequence of every kind. Raphael watched in amazement as the dancers fell to their knees on either side. And slowly, before his eves, the curtain was drawn.

Before him, now stood the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, the dancers fast forgotten. A woman, tall and thin, hung with soft pink fabric that bunched and flowed as if water was all around them. Her eyes, the most tranquil of blues, were big and wide. Her hair flowed in soft golden coils around her head.

Raphael could do absolutely nothing, as he watched he could not look away. Nothing he had ever seen had _ever_ come even close to this beauty.

She stepped closer, slowly spinning around.

And now, the spell on Raphael was broken and he was forced to step backwards as she advanced. She was no longer the soft, pretty woman. Now, as she turned, she revealed another head, and subsequently, another side of her being.

This side was dressed in black. With dark, shiny hair that hung straight to her waist. She was wearing a thousand rings on her fingers, and her sharp, chiseled jaw was raised in contempt.

She was an ice queen, she was Maleficent and she was, in the greatest sense, just as beautiful as the first girl had been.

Raphael made to step forward.

The woman held up a hand and he found himself jolted to a stop. Then, lowering her head she turned to look at him. She smirked, looking right into his very soul with her eyes- an electric green. So pure, so clear. A window to a soul that Raphael did not have the stomach to face.

He blanched, flinging himself to the floor down by her feet.

As she passed, Raphael could swear that he heard a soft croon in her voice.

He did not have long to lie, shivering from suppressed emotions on the bare floor. He could feel now, the dancers' hands on him now, pressing into the small of his back and urging him up.

"_Get up… get up_…" He could hear them, soft and raspy and forgotten.

"_She needs the eleventh, eleventh…get up_…"

She needs the eleventh. The eleventh person to be caught in her web, the eleventh person to be taken, the eleventh- and _final_- dancer.

He listened to the words of the creatures, pushing himself to his feet.

"_Thank you."_ He whispered and with that he was off, sprinting down the long, twisting corridor he'd come from.

He did not dare to look back as he heard the shrieks of outrage and pain.

_I'm sorry_. He though. _So, so sorry._

And he turned the last, final corner to his maze. He could go no further. There was only solid wall to meet him now. And now Raphael had to wonder, sinking back against the stones. And Raphael stopped to wonder exactly when he had gone insane.

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**Written for the Mythical Seductress challenge on Stealthy Stories. I welcome criticism, but please do not feel the need to mention that this starts and ends with no explanation. I am aware of that, unfortunately, I am not up to another long story and this was alright. I may do a sequel that looks deeper into this, but not at the moment.**

**What did you think?**


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